Christmas Morning

Santa came, mommy! Of course, Will is too little to really care, but it was fun to imagine him in a couple of years. He is just starting to get the idea that there is something under the bows and paper.

A water toy for the highchair.

I can help, mommy!

Oh, I love these soft, squishy animals Daddy gave me.

Another one!

Thank you, Joshua!

Daddy's turn

Genuinely surprised. Like a little boy!

Santa brought presents for the girls, too!

Boy, I love this elephant!

A quick family picture and then time for a nap and football!

Christmas Eve

We headed to Candlelight Christmas Eve service at 1st Baptist Church of Cornelia. It was a wonderful time of celebration and beautiful music. Will was very well behaved and the received lots of love from everyone.
1st Baptist Church of Cornelia, GA at sunset. Beautiful!
Sweet Will glad to be home.
Our little reindeer had to get a little playtime in before bed.
The things mommas do to their babies! Reindeer antlers....too funny!

Getting ready for Santa

It's almost time for Santa. I don't know who is more excited, little Will (who really could care less) or his momma and daddy. It is so fun to share the holiday for the first time with our new little man. I couldn't resist setting him in front of the Christmas tree for pictures.

Time for Cookies!

This is the spread I set up for decorating. It takes hours, but I love every minute of it, until they are eaten. All that hard work, gobbled up in two seconds!
Of course, Daddy had to have the first two cookies.

Will seemed to be entralled with the beating and stirring of the mixer.No Christmas would be complete without driving around to see the local lights. These reindeer were part of a sweet little display in a local park near our home. Will slept through the whole thing. One day, we will hear his little "ooo's and ahhh's."

It's a baby girl

Here is an ultrasound of our newest baby expected in May. We had a brief ultrasound this morning. You could call it an early Christmas present. The baby has a perfect little profile and looks to be in great health with a strong heartbeat.

If you look closely, you can see the baby's hand and fingers just above the nose. Too cute! And...... It looks like our new sweetheart will be able to use these precious pink shoes. It's a girl!!! I cried with joy when the technician told us. Mike will proudly tell you that he knew it was a girl all along. He will have a daddy's little girl and I will have someone to teach how to cook, knit and dress in bows. And even better, she will have a wonderful, big brother, Will, to look after her. We couldn't be more thrilled.

In three weeks, I will be seeing a high-risk maternity specialist for a detailed, in-depth ultrasound. However, there is nothing for us to worry about. Because of Will's premature birth, the doctors are just being extra cautious and watching the pregnancy closely. We thank you in advance for your kind and loving thoughts and prayers.

Our home during the holidays

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas around here. Since this is our last Christmas in this house, it is a special one. We are planning to move to North Carolina, near the GA state line sometime in January. We will be living on the lake! Our new address and info will be sent via regular mail in the near future.

Naturally, this is our tree. I really do love the smell and feel of a real one, but there is a special joy in plugging in a pre-lit tree. No sap and prickly fingers.
This is a wreath hanging on the foyer mirror to greet all of our guests.This is my sweet little Louisiana Cajun tree. It has red peppers, straw hats, painted Santa okra, and tiny Tabasco hot sauce bottles. I love it so!
This is our mantle, with the fire going strong. Three stockings this year. Next year, there will be four! Oh my!

Daily Essentials

All in a day's work!

Play Time: Will is becoming more and more active. He is 5 1/2 months old now and is discovering the joy of play! He loves playing in his exersaucer. He always aims to get everything in his mouth. Teeth must be on their way. Maybe Santa will bring a tooth for Christmas.

Nap Time: Another daily essential. Will still naps about 3 times a day. Waking up is always fun.
Soooo sleepy!
Oh, hey mommy!

Bath Time: Not everyday, but definitely needed tonight. He seems to love bath time and has never cried. However, he's not a fan of hair washing.

Time for PJ's with Daddy

Happy Hanukkah

Being an interfaith family, we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. This year, Hanukkah surprised us by being early. It began on the evening of the 4th and ended 8 days later. I always love Hanukkah because of the beautiful Menorah. We light a new candle each night of Hanukkah until all eight candles are burning brightly. The center candle is the "helper" candle. We use it to light the others.

Will finally stayed awake long enough in the evening to open his presents. He's inspecting a present from grandma and grandpa.

This past Saturday, we had our Hanukkah dinner at our home. It was wonderful to have Mike's mom and dad and my cousin Genny there. Will even sat at the table with everyone. The menu included: Beignets (fried New Orlean's style donuts), Beef Tenderloin, Scalloped Potatoes, Broccoli Cheese Casserole, steamed cauliflower, Latkes and Applesauce and finally homemade Caramel Apple Cheesecake. YUM!

Will was just hanging back wondering what all the fuss was about.

Seeing Santa Claus

What I want for Christmas...
Will went to see Santa Claus for the 1st time yesterday. While he's only 5 months old, he seemed to really enjoy it. Santa was able to make him laugh. It was really so precious to see.

Will told Santa that he wanted some toys to chew on and a new baby sister in the spring. Santa said he would see what he could do.

This Santa was great. He gave out Lindt chocolates. Mommy had to eat them for Will. Tee hee hee.

Zooming with Daddy

Will's favorite thing to do is to zoom around the house with daddy. Mike pretends his thumbs are the gear shifts and they take off.

Looking super cute and surprised.

A Morning in New Orleans

Coffee and Beignets! No stop through New Orleans is complete without a morning of coffee and beignets at Cafe Du' Monde in the French Quarter. It was chilly that day, so once we got a seat inside, powdered sugar called our names!

For me, it was really special to take Will to the city that I love so much. I look forward to the days when he is older and I can show him some of the rich historical places. I know he will grow to love it as much as I do.

Mike, Will and I in Jackson Square

Will had a lovely encounter with a mule.


This is Will's favorite way to travel. He uses Mike's thumbs as gear shifts.

Mmmmm. Beignets!

A morning meltdown during breakfast.

Powdered sugar accidently fell on Will's head. He's our own little beignet!

After breakfast, we had to stop for some freshly made pralines to take back to GA.